Life-saving apparatus



MUAA

(No Model.) 2Shets-Sheet 1.

L. D. B. SHAW.

LIFE SAVING APPARATUS.

No. 568,960. Patented 001:. 6, 1896.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LORENZO D. B. SHAW, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,960, dated October6, 1896.

Application filed July 25, 1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LORENZO D. B. SHAW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, (Coney Island,) in the county of Kings and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Apparatus, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce an apparatus for saving lifefrom buildings that are on fire; and the invention consists of a seriesof adjustable arms mounted upon a tilting platform and operated bygears, so that said arms can be readily extended or contracted, the saidtilting platform being carried on a suitable truck, netting, canvas, orother suitable material being attached to the outer ends of theadjustable arms, so that when said arms are extended a large surface ofnetting or other material is exposed, onto which persons may jump fromany Window in the building and be caught without injury, as hereinafterfully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side viewof a life-saving apparatus embodying my invention in the folded orclosed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the arms extended. Fig. 3is a plan or top view of the same with arms extended and the netting orother material removed. Fig. 4: is a vertical longitudinal section withthe arms extended.

A represents the body of a truck mounted upon wheels B. On each of theside frames of the truck is secured a bearing 0, in which are mountedthe journals d, carrying a circular plate or platform D, which aroundits edge is provided with a series of lugs or short standards D, and thecenter of said plate D is formed with a recess in which a bevelgearwheel E is fitted, said bevel gear-wheel having a centralscrew-threaded hole through which a screw F passes, the head F of saidscrew being formed with a series of lugs f, to which are fulcrumed shortarms or connecting-pieces G, the other ends of which are attached to theinner ends of adjustable arms H, that are fulcrnmed to the lugs orstandards D on the platform D, as shown.

J is a small bevel-wheel in gear with the Serial No. 557,069. (Nomodel.)

bevel-gear E, said wheel J being carried on the end of a short shaftj,mounted in a bearing K, the outer end of said shaft beingformed toreceive a handle L. Thus when the arms H are contracted by turning thehandle L in one direction the bevel-wheel J will cause the bevel-wheel Eto operate the screw F and force the head F upward, and carrying with itthe short arms G, which, being attached to the short ends of theadjustable arms H, cause the long ends of said arms to be extended, asshown in Figs. :2, 3, and 4. Of course when the handle L is turned inthe reverse direction the screw F will be lowered and will cause thelong ends of the adjustable arms to be brought together.

In order that the adjustable arms H may be lowered to be out of the waywhen the apparatus is being transported from place to place, I secure toone side of the platform D a semicircular plate M, formed with two holesm m, and to the side frame is attached a bolt N, the end of which fitsinto one of said holes m m to hold the plate or platform M in either thehorizontal or lowered position, and in order to quickly turn the saidplatform to the horizontal position, when the apparatus has arrived atthe desired place, I secure to the under side of said platform D an armP, to which one end of a spiral spring Q is attached, the other end ofsaid spring being secured to some suitable part of the body of thetruck.

In operation, supposing the apparatus to be in the position shown inFig. 1 and it is desired to have same assume the position shown in Fig.2, the bolt N is first'withdrawn from the hole m in the plate M. Whenthus released, the spiral spring Q draws upon the arm P, causing theplate M to turn until the platform D assumes a horizontal position. Thebolt N then-passes into the hole on and retains it in that position. Thehandle L is then turned, which, through the bevel-gears E J, operatesthe screw F and forces it up, the short arms or connecting-pieces Gbeing carried therewith, which arms, operating the inner ends of theadjustable arms H, cause them to be expanded, as before described.

To the ends of the adjustable arms H is secured any suitable material R,such as net= ting, canvas, or the like, which, when the ad= ju'stablearms H are extended, will present a wheel in gear with said bevel-wheeland adapted to be operated by a handle, adjustlarge area, preferably,say, about twenty-five feet in diameter, on which persons jumping from awindow in the building will be caught without danger to life.

Although I have shown the apparatus supported on a truck of its own, itis intended to apply same to the ladder-trucks now employed in firedepartments.

hat I claim is 1. In a life-saving apparatus a series of 'adjustablearms radiating from a common center, a body-receptacle consisting ofnetting or other suitable material attached to said arms, said armsbeing fulcrumed to standards on a pivoted plate or platform, and meanssuch as described for operating same substantially as set forth.

2. In alife-saving apparatus a pivoted plate or platform mounted inbearings carried by a suitable frame or truck, said platform having aseries of logs or standards, adjustable arms radiating from a commoncenter and fulcrumed to said standards, netting or other suitablematerial secured to said arms, and short bars or arms connecting theinner ends of said adjustable arms to lugs on the head of a screwoperated substantially as set forth.

3. In a life-saving apparatus a pivoted plate or platform mounted inbearings carried by a suitable frame or truck, said platform having aseries of lugs or standards round its outer edge and a bevel-wheelarranged in its central portion, a screw passing through the center ofsaid bevel-Wheel the head of which is provided with a series of lugs, abevel cogable arms fulcrumed to the lugs or standards on the pivotedplate, netting or other suitable material secured to said arms andconnecting-pieces attached to the inner ends of said adjustable arms andthe lugs on the screwhead substantially as set forth.

4;. In a life-saving apparatusa pivoted platform carrying adjustablearms and means for operating same, netting or other suitable materialsecured to said arms, a plate secured on one side of said platform andhaving holes into which a bolt on the frame is free to pass to hold samein a raised or lowered position and an arm secured to the under side ofsaid platform, a spring attached to said arm and to the framesubstantially as and for the pur poses set forth.

5. In a life-saving apparatus, a pivoted plate, a platform, and meansfor tilting same, lugs or standards on said platform, adjustable armsradiating from a common center fulcrumed to said lugs or standards,netting or other suitable material secured to the outer ends of saidarms, and means for extending and contracting said adjustable armssubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 25th day of March, A. D.1895.

LORENZO D. B. SHAY",

Vitnesses:

CHAS. STEERE, EDWIN PLANTA.

